Joseph Devine
Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Styles of Joseph Devine | |
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Bishop Emeritus | |
Posthumous style | not applicable |
Joseph Devine (7 August 1937 – 23 May 2019)
Biography
He was educated at
He was private secretary to the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1964 to 1965. He was assistant priest at St. Robert Bellarmine, Pollok, Glasgow (1965–67) and at St. Joseph's, Helensburgh (1967–72). He was on staff at St. Peter's College, Cardross (1967–74).
He served on the staff of the Episcopal Vicar for the Lay Apostolate from 1974 to 1983. He was appointed
Bishop Devine handed his resignation to the Vatican on 7 August 2012, his 75th birthday, as required by canon law, this was accepted on 30 May 2013 at which point Bishop Joseph Toal, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles was appointed apostolic administrator. The Diocese of Motherwell was a
Views and controversies
Public views on denominational education
In September 2002, Bishop Devine said, "Denominational education is an enabler of sectarianism", also "Roman Catholic schooling is divisive - sometimes it's a price worth paying".[2] He justified the remarks by saying "The Catholic community believes that with denominational schooling comes the creation of a common set of values - a coherent system that has the academic curriculum and moral and spiritual life in tandem".[2]
Public views on Parishes
In February 2008, he called for an audit of police officers to combat sectarian discrimination against Catholics.[3] The discrimination includes denying promotion to Catholics above a certain rank.[3] Anti-sectarianism charity Nil by Mouth supported the call.[3]
Public views on homosexuality
In March 2008, as part of a public lecture on
Devine harshly criticised the decision to honour Sir Ian McKellen for his work for equality and, by way of illustrating the advances made by gays, pointed out that Oscar Wilde had been incarcerated following conviction for violating the gross indecency statute. The Bishop also took the opportunity to advise the parents of gay children: "This must be a nightmare moment for any parent. I would try to handle it with a degree of compassion. But I would not tolerate that kind of behaviour. I would not condemn but I would not tolerate it."[4][5]
Critics of Bishop Devine replied that between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were held in concentration camps by the
In 2007, Bishop Devine further stated that he would close the Roman Catholic adoption agencies rather than be legally coerced into helping same-sex couples to adopt children, and earlier in the year suggested that homosexual men and women were not fit to teach in classrooms.
Financial controversies
In November 2008, Bishop Devine attracted controversy when he demolished his home in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, in order to build a new residence at an estimated cost of £650,000.[6] This occasioned criticism from many among his flock in the diocese, and from beyond. His purchase of the now demolished house also caused controversy in the tabloid press, who claimed that he had considered the acquisition of a property with a swimming pool. This was denied by Bishop Devine.
Sexual abuse scandal
In April 2013, The Observer alleged that as Bishop of Motherwell, Devine had protected priests who had sexually abused children and tried to silence or discredit their victims.[7]
In 2016, Fr. John B. Farrell, a retired priest of the Diocese of Motherwell, the last headteacher at St Ninian's Orphanage,
References
- ^ a b c d e f Cheney, David M. "Bishop Joseph Devine [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b Bishop admits sectarian problem, 22 September 2002, retrieved 3 July 2009
- ^ a b c Scots police face sectarian audit, Jason Allardyce, The Times, 27 February 2008, retrieved 3 July 2009
- ^ a b Catholic bishop hits out at 'gay conspiracy' to destroy Christianity, Tristran Stuart-Robertson, The Scotsman, 13 March 2008, retrieved 3 July 2009
- ^ a b Bishop criticises gay community, BBC News, 13 March 2008
- ^ Grand Devine's, Charles Lavery, Sunday Mail, 23 November 2008
- ^ Deveney, Catherine (7 April 2013). "Catholic priests unmasked: 'God doesn't like boys who cry'". The Observer. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ Moncur, James (23 August 2017). "Christian Brothers abuse survivor wins five-figure payout after 40-year fight". Daily Record.
- ^ McCabe, Grant (22 July 2016). "Two men found guilty of sexually abusing and assaulting boys at St Ninian's".
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Preceded by | Bishop of Motherwell 1983–2013 |
Succeeded by |